Stories of Loving One Another

What would you do for your friends and the people you love? My guess would be that you would do anything for the people you love. Unconditional Love inspires us to “lay down our lives for our friends.” Our call from Jesus in today’s Gospel is to love one another. Further, Jesus tells us that our Christian community will be known to the world by our love for one another. I cannot think of a better way to be known. Have you seen signs of love in your community recently? I have been reflecting on unconditional love and what it looks like, for the last few weeks, and since I have started more carefully observing, I have been delighted to find so many examples of love everywhere, all around me. In uncertain times, gathering stories of love is a great way to take in all of the Good News around us. There IS Good News. 

Love is contagious! Once I began thinking about it, I noticed that the love stories -not just romantic love- but unconditional, loving friendship, are abundant in my life. Can you think of any stories of love? I would like to share two of my favorite, most recent examples of unconditional love in action that I have witnessed. 

The first story of building a community of love is about my friend and her partner who is experiencing memory problems. For the last couple of years, my friend has been taking care of her every single need: from feeding, bathing, dressing, and driving her wherever she needs to go, to everything else in between. Often, my friend’s partner is unable to acknowledge or thank her partner for her tireless love. Yet, my friend keeps caring for her every need, and does not stop loving her. I cannot imagine how hard and exhausting this must be. Not only is her partner unable to return the love and care, but their relationship is not the same. They fell in love and formed a relationship that no longer exists. This is an enormous loss for the balanced, mutual relationship they used to have. Further, the work of taking care of the basic needs of another person is exhausting. Who is caring for my friend? Yet, I never hear my friend complain, and she keeps on caring for her partner. The caregiver continues to care, day in and day out, for months and years on end. I imagine this is the type of love that Jesus is referring to when he invites the disciples to love one another. This type of love is beautiful and contagious. Is there anyone in your life who is a caregiver and shows love in this way?

My second story is about my friend who just became a mother three months ago. Her best friend was running a marathon, and in the middle of the marathon (26.2 miles!) grew dehydrated and had to visit the medical tent. The marathon runner had to finish the race walking the last 8 miles, instead of running it as she had planned. My friend was able to accompany her and walk alongside her for the last four miles to the finish line, all while pushing her infant in her stroller. Even though my friend is still recovering from giving birth, and is sleep deprived, she walked with her friend across the finish line. Together, they finished the race, and my friend dropped everything, took her baby, and accompanied her friend on an agonizing journey to be sure that she could make it to the end of the marathon. The gift of having a friend accompany us during a very difficult, physical challenge, so that we don't need to walk alone, literally, is quite beautiful. Jesus teaches us to be disciples who care for and love one another. The act of walking for miles with a friend in need is exactly the kind of loving sacrifice that Jesus has in mind. Has there been anyone in your life who has walked alongside you in times of distress? Have you walked alongside someone in distress?

As we continue to celebrate the joy of Resurrection in this Easter season, may we be mindful of all of the examples of love around us. May we never be afraid to love, and never be afraid to freely offer an act of love that might never be reciprocated. I am honored to be a part of a community rooted in love, as a Christian, and I invite all of us to choose to love one another. If we keep loving one another, it will be so noticeable. We will continue to share the Good News with our actions.

Today's Readings